My previous trainers were perfect (nearly). However, the main problem was the fabric front, which easily became saturated in water. I eventually had enough of having wet feet, especially after a visit to rain soaked Venice, and had them replaced! I found these trainers on sale for 50 Euros (around 30 pounds) in a Foot Locker store in Verona. I saw the same shoe in other Italian Foot Locker stores, so hurry there if you want to get one like this. I do not know whether other European Foot Locker stores stock this shoe. Just looking at them you can see why they were originally so expensive (the original price was 120 Euros!) Walking for a whole day in the rain (and one or two puddles) my feet were 100% dry. In terms of comfort, I would certainly recommend these trainers, for most people. The sole is filled with air, thus cushioning your feet perfectly.

The sole is not especially bouncy. Nike call this sole cushioning system "Air Max" as I am sure most readers probably know. Unfortunately they are not very forgiving of flat feet (like mine), and as such my small toe kept rubbing against the inside of the shoe, this inspite of the shoe being size 44 (and I am size 42 usually). I eventually managed to solve this problem by putting a small plaster in place, and the shoe expanded after a few weeks, so I no longer needed the plaster. Clad in golden plastic, the design is quite snazzy. Depending upon the light, the colour changes. In the photograph above, I used a flash and the shoes seem very gold. In daylight, the shoes look slightly green. There is also no cloth to let in water. Nearly all the "cool" trainers have cloth, not this one!